Strong Excise Policy need of hour: CPI-M

Published: Friday, May 23, 2008, 14:04 [IST]

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Bangalore, May 23: Blaming the Karnataka government's flaws in its Excise Policy for the recent hooch tragedy which had claimed over 137 lives, Communist Party of India (Marxist) today urged for a comprehensive Excise Policy to wipe out illicit brew trade in future.

Addressing newspersons here, CPI(M) State Secretary V G K Nair opined that the present Excise policy was discriminatory in nature as it focuses only in the interest of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) manufacturers and distributors and had ignored the needs of poor and unaffordable sections who eventually turns to cheap liquor supplying sources.

The present Excise Policy has also failed miserably to curb production and distribution of spurious liquor trade run by bootleggers in league with politicians.

Stating that, the ban on sale of arrack by the previous JD(S)-BJP coalition government was in vogue, he said that the recent hooch tragedy which had claimed over 137 lives since May 18 would not have been occurred.

Mr Nair, pressing for an impartial inquiry into the tragic incident and bring the culprits to book, demanded the State government to provide adequate relief for the families of the deceased.